The best things to do in Hallandale Beach, FL with kids come down to three: two lifeguarded city beach parks on South Ocean Drive, a set of free city recreation programs and one indoor play center for the afternoon the sky opens up. The city is only 4.6 square miles, so a full family day usually pairs a local stop with a 15-minute drive into Hollywood, Aventura or Dania Beach. This guide covers both, plus the parking rules visitors get caught by.
How Hallandale Beach Lays Out for a Family Day
Hallandale Beach is small enough to learn in one afternoon. Nearly everything sits on two cross streets. Hallandale Beach Boulevard runs east to west, Federal Highway runs north to south, Gulfstream Park sits near where they meet, and both city beach parks are a short drive east at the ocean end of the boulevard.
The city also skews older. The 2020 census counted 41,217 residents on 4.21 square miles of land, with 24.4% of them 65 or older and 16.0% under 18 (Wikipedia, citing U.S. Census Bureau data). That’s why the kid-focused options here are municipal parks and one indoor play center rather than a strip of family attractions, and why a full day usually includes a short drive. Our guide to things to do in Hallandale Beach covers the adult version of this list.
Outdoor Things to Do With Kids in Hallandale Beach
Everything outdoors inside the city limits is either sand or a city park, and all of it’s cheap. Four places carry the day.
South City Beach Park: Playground, Bocce and Beach Wheelchairs
South City Beach Park at 1870 S. Ocean Drive is the city’s main public beach and the right pick with young children. It has a children’s playground, sand volleyball, two bocce courts and an outdoor pavilion you can reserve, plus restrooms and outdoor showers (Visit Lauderdale). Pack your own lunch and a cooler, so nobody has to leave the sand when they get hungry. Free beach wheelchairs sit at Towers 1 and 2 from 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Visit Florida).
North City Beach Park: The Beach Ball Water Tower and Quieter Sand
North City Beach Park, a short walk north, has fewer amenities than its neighbor, which is exactly why local families use it. There are sand volleyball courts, restrooms and outdoor showers, and it sits beneath the Beach Ball Water Tower designed by local artist Jim Weinberg, the photo every visiting kid wants. Lifeguards work both parks year-round, from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. March to November and 9:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. November to March (City of Hallandale Beach Beach Safety).
Joseph Scavo Park: An Intracoastal Playground With Two Dog Runs
Joseph Scavo Park at 900 Three Islands Boulevard is the best free park in the city once the children are finished with sand. It has restrooms, a playground, a walking track, a fitness trail, basketball courts, picnic areas and two off-leash dog areas, one for large dogs and one for small (City of Hallandale Beach). It’s one of only two city parks where dogs are allowed, the other being Golden Isles Park (City of Hallandale Beach Parks). Parking here runs through the PayByPhone app, so set it up before you arrive.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park and B.F. James Park: West Side Playgrounds and a Pool
The park older maps still call Foster Park is now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park & Dream Center, at 609 NW 6th Avenue. It has an accessible shaded playground, a walking track, an outdoor fitness trail, a pavilion and a micro-library, but no splash pad (City of Hallandale Beach). A few blocks away, B.F. James Park & Pool at 777 NW 1st Avenue adds a playground, basketball courts and a municipal pool that runs scheduled swim activities year-round (City of Hallandale Beach). Call ahead for pool times, and go before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m. in summer, when playground surfaces cool off.
Outdoor Trips Within 20 Minutes of Town
Three short drives cover what the city can’t: a state park, a boardwalk and a boat. All three sit inside 20 minutes off-peak and add more at rush hour. Longer runs belong in our guide to day trips from Hallandale Beach.
Oleta River State Park: Kayaking, Mangroves and a Bay Beach
Oleta River State Park, about 15 minutes south on US 1 in North Miami Beach, is Florida’s largest urban park and the strongest outdoor half day near Hallandale Beach. Families paddle through mangrove channels, swim at a calm beach off Biscayne Bay and ride a trail network that includes beginner loops as well as harder mountain bike routes. It’s open 8 a.m. to sundown daily, and entry is $6 per vehicle carrying two to eight people, or $2 on foot or by bike (Florida State Parks). Kayaks and bikes can be rented on site, and repellent is a good idea on the trails.
Hollywood Beach Broadwalk: The Boardwalk Hallandale Beach Doesn’t Have
The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, 10 to 15 minutes north on A1A, is a nearly 2.5-mile brick promenade lined with oceanfront restaurants and shops (Visit Lauderdale). Parents expecting a boardwalk in Hallandale Beach are picturing this one, because Hallandale has neither a boardwalk nor a pier. Its best feature for families is the children’s water playground at Charnow Park, the easiest splash stop in the area. Arrive before 10 a.m. on winter weekends, because parking is the constraint.
Lady Pamela II Sportfishing: Getting a Child Onto the Ocean
Lady Pamela II runs four-hour drift fishing trips from 5400 N. Ocean Drive in Hollywood, about 20 minutes north, with rods, bait and tackle included, which makes it the easiest way to get a child fishing on the ocean without buying gear (Lady Pamela II). Pick the 8:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. trip with younger kids, since the night snapper trips run 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Families with their own boat will find the Hallandale Beach City Marina has 26 annual slips and only 3 transient slips (City Marina), and boat storage in Hallandale Beach covers the months it isn’t in the water.
Indoor Things to Do With Kids on a Rainy Day
Bad weather isn’t an edge case here. From June through September the afternoon thunderstorm is close to a daily event, and city parks close at dusk unless something’s scheduled, so the indoor list matters more than it would in a milder climate.
Flippo’s Family Fun Center: Indoor Play for Ages 1 to 14
Flippo’s at 801 N. Federal Highway is the best bad-weather option actually inside Hallandale Beach. It’s an indoor play center for ages 1 to 14 with big indoor playgrounds, a toddler zone, a laser maze, a sports court and an arcade, and it runs birthday parties and seasonal camps (Flippo’s). A signed waiver is required before anyone plays, so handle it before you arrive rather than at the counter with a restless 4-year-old.
The Cultural Community Center and OB Johnson Park: Free City Programs
Free city programming is the part visiting parents almost never find. The Cultural Community Center hosts a monthly Family Fun Zone, and OB Johnson Park runs Family Fun Nights, the Ballin After Dark open-gym basketball program and Sunday pickleball. Ingalls Park adds a free Family Nature Club every Wednesday. All of it’s free and all of it needs registration (City of Hallandale Beach Family Fun). Call 954-457-1452 for the schedule.
Puttshack Dania Beach and Xtreme Action Park: Two Bigger Indoor Days
Puttshack at Dania Pointe, about 20 minutes north via I-95, is mini golf with automatic scoring and a full kitchen, and its pricing splits into juniors 12 and under, young adults 13 to 20 and adults 21 and over, so a mixed-age group pays fairly (Puttshack). It opens at 11 a.m. daily, so go in the afternoon, well before the late weekend crowd. Xtreme Action Park at 5300 Powerline Road in Fort Lauderdale, roughly 30 minutes northwest, adds go-karts, bowling, a trampoline park and an indoor ropes course with beginner and advanced levels (Xtreme Action Park) for the third straight day of rain.
Family-Friendly Food Stops Between the Beach and the Boulevard
Untoasted is the area’s dedicated breakfast and lunch room, open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3121 W. Hallandale Beach Boulevard, at the far west end past I-95 (Untoasted). It’s a good pairing with the west side parks, and weekend waits build by midmorning. Closer to the beach, Wapo Tacos and Wapo Burger share an address at 1955 E. Hallandale Beach Boulevard in the RK Diplomat center, with food that travels back to the sand (Wapo Tacos). Our Hallandale Beach brunch guide covers the rest.
Parking, Park Hours and the Weather Rules That Catch Visitors Out
Beach parking is metered and cashless. The meters along South Ocean Drive run through the PayByPhone app and take no cash, so set it up before you park rather than standing in the sun with a toddler. City parks close at dusk except for scheduled activities, while the beach itself is open dawn to dusk all year.
Dogs aren’t allowed in city parks or on the beach except in the off-leash areas at Joseph Scavo Park and Golden Isles Park, which catches visiting families out constantly. Most of this list isn’t walkable from the rest either, so plan on a car and one parking decision per stop.
Weather runs the calendar. Book outdoor plans before 11 a.m. from June through September and keep an indoor option in reserve. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, and most activity comes between mid-August and mid-October (NOAA National Hurricane Center). Check the flag at the lifeguard tower before anyone swims, or call the city’s beach conditions line at 954-362-9198. Our guide to the best time to visit Hallandale Beach breaks the year down month by month.
Beach gear piles up faster than a condo absorbs it. A family that spends a season here ends up with boogie boards, a folding wagon, bikes, kayaks and a stack of pool noodles, and the humidity is hard on foam and neoprene. That’s the argument for climate-controlled storage in Hallandale Beach over a hot garage. A 10×20 storage unit is about the size of a one-car garage, so the bikes and paddleboards go in without anyone stacking them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some fun activities for kids at Hallandale Beach?
Swimming and the playground at South City Beach Park, bocce and volleyball on the sand, the Beach Ball Water Tower at North City Beach Park, the playground at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park, and the dog runs and playground at Joseph Scavo Park cover the city itself. Add Flippo’s indoors and kayaking at Oleta River State Park, 15 minutes south.
What are some free things to do with kids in Broward?
Hallandale Beach runs a genuinely free list: Family Fun Nights at OB Johnson Park, a monthly Family Fun Zone at the Cultural Community Center, a weekly Family Nature Club at Ingalls Park, open-gym basketball and Sunday pickleball. Each needs registration. The beach parks, the city playgrounds, the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk and its Charnow Park water playground are free too, though beach parking isn’t.
Is there a boardwalk in Hallandale Beach?
No. Hallandale Beach has two lifeguarded city beach parks with restrooms and showers, but no boardwalk and no pier. The nearest is the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, a nearly 2.5-mile brick promenade 10 to 15 minutes north on A1A, with restaurants and shops along its length.
What are the best indoor things to do in Hallandale Beach with kids?
Flippo’s on North Federal Highway is the only dedicated indoor play center inside the city, built for ages 1 to 14. The Cultural Community Center runs free indoor family programming with registration. Within half an hour you also get Puttshack at Dania Pointe and Xtreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale.
Is Hallandale Beach a nice beach?
It’s a clean, quiet, lifeguarded municipal beach rather than a resort strip, which suits families. Lifeguards work year-round, free beach wheelchairs are available at Towers 1 and 2, and South City Beach Park has a playground, bocce and volleyball. What it lacks is a boardwalk, a pier and free parking.
Storage Options for Hallandale Beach Families
Value Store It’s Hallandale Beach location on Bryan Road rents month-to-month with no long-term contract, which matches how families here use storage: a season at a time, then out. The larger 10×30 units hold the contents of a four-bedroom home during a condo renovation, and car storage for a second vehicle covers the months a seasonal family is back north. If you’re not sure what you need, the storage unit size calculator sorts it out before you drive over. When the gear finally wins and the condo runs out of room, we can help.
